Natural of the Drunken Fist
by Talchum
Summary: A story I had posted, and then I accidentally deleted it. Posting it again.. The story coincides with scenes from Ep. 124


**I am BUMMED OUT. I posted a story, saw some major revisions I had to make, decided to delete it, and accidently deleted this one instead. Yeah, well now I know don't mess around with your fanfiction account when you lack sleep and are crossed eyed from studying the Endocrine system for a test on Monday. Anyway, here it is again...**

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The least Neji had wanted to do was to accompany his team to the restaurant to celebrate Lee learning the Primary Lotus. He seethed with quiet jealousy as he watched his teammate jumping up and down with excitement when he had learned the technique. But what was more disconcerting to Neji was that he could not do it.

_How? How? How? How?_ He asked himself over and over. _How could I not learn that technique and _he_ could?_

So when Gai Sensei suggested treating the team to dinner later that day, Neji at first refused, citing the long hard training and needing to rest as an excuse.

"Are you kidding?" Gai Sensei slapped Neji on his back, causing the Hyuuga boy to stumble forward. "You've got the power of youth within you! What are you complaining about? Sleep? Sleep is for losers. Come on, Neji!" Gai gestured as he walked away with Lee on one side of him and Tenten on the other. Neji growled, but reluctantly followed.

He sat at the table, his arms folded across his chest. To his left sat Lee, then Tenten. Gai's empty chair was in between the two rivals, while their sensei was in the corner, talking to some acquaintance.

"It is an incredible feeling!" Lee was speaking rapid fire, his excitement from earlier not showing any sign of dwindling. "I feel by learning this new jutsu I can move a mountain!"

"We're real proud of you, Lee." Tenten said genuinely.

"Thank you for your encouragement, Tenten!" Lee took a sip of water, and gave her a sparkling grin. "I feel like I am opening the door to something new and wonderful."

"You are, Lee, and you deserve it. You've been training very hard." Tenten looked up. "Right, Neji?"

"Good job, Lee." Neji said through gritted teeth. "You did... well..." he fought the urge to remind Lee of his destiny.

Lee stared, his eyes welling up with tears. "That means a lot coming from you... Neji." Not taking his eyes off of his rival lee reached over and grabbed a glass, taking a sip. "You don't know how much yo–ewww..."

Neji frowned, raising an eyebrow. "What?"

Lee swayed in his seat, falling forward, and then back, almost into Tenten's lap.

"Hey!" the kunoichi cried.

Neji uncrossed his arms. The jealousy and irritation he had felt for most of the day was turning into concern and irritation. "Lee, is something wro—"

Lee suddenly jumped up, knocking over his chair, curled his arm, and with one swift motion brought his elbow down on the table. Tenten screamed, and Neji jumped out of his chair in shock. The table broke into two, glasses, plates and chopsticks falling to the floor. The restaurant that was earlier humming with the sound of business suddenly turn dead quiet.

"LEE!" Gai was beside Neji even before he realized it, staring at his favored pupil in horror.

Lee was furiously stumbling around. Tenten was behind him, her hands covering her mouth.

"What's gotten into you, Lee?" Neji demanded.

"What?" Lee fixed a glare on Neji. "You want some?" His voice was slow and slurred.

"You've got to be kiddi---" Neji began to say, but almost immediately his rival was upon him, flinging his fists around in a wild fashion. Caught off guard, Neji stumbled back, bumping into a table that was behind him. Lee was spinning around in a furious, unpredictable manner. All around the restaurant was the sound of screams, table and chair splintering, and customers scurrying out. One well aimed table went flying towards Gai, landing on him, taking the big man down.

Neji maintained his balance even as customers ran past, shoving him in their hurry to exit. He looked over at his teacher who he saw laying underneath the table, probably knocked out by hitting his head so hard against the floor. Tenten was standing in her place, still in shock.

"Lee, what's gotten into you?" she laughed nervously, waving her arms as if to make him calm down. "Lee—LEE!"

The restaurant was almost completely cleared now of customers, except for the few curious bystanders who stood safely off to the side, watching in horror. The building itself was a disaster, chairs and tables broken, plates and glasses shattered on the floor. Food was flung on the wall, and a cloud of dust had risen from all the commotion.

"Gai sensei!" Lee paused, standing in the middle of his destruction. One hand rested on the last table standing, the other was clenched in a fist and held to his chest. "Watch me now, Gai sensei!" Neji paused, a light going off in his head.

_Is he... drunk?_ He wondered to himself, incredulous.

"The power of youth EXPLODES WITHIN ME!" Lee suddenly grabbed the table and flung it away behind him, directly where Tenten was standing.

"Lee, no!" Neji ran and flung his body against the table, hurling himself and the object straight into the wall. Tenten screamed, and fell back. Gai was awake suddenly, and upon Lee, trying to grab him, but the pupil flailed and squirmed out of his teacher's way.

"I AM IN MY PRIME!" Lee ran around the restaurant, destroying everything in his path that he missed earlier. He took a cabinet and flung it across the room, a mirror off the wall and tossed it at the last of the bystanders who managed to dodge out of the way.

"LEE!" Tenten ran up to Lee and grabbed him by his shirt, shaking him violently. "Snap out of it!" she growled, and pulling one arm back she curled her fist and smashed it into her teammate's face. Lee went flying across the room, crashing into a chair.

"Neji, now's our chance!" Gai called. "Grab him!"

Neji jumped up and ran at Lee, but the other boy had already regained what little balance he had. He had a chair in his hand now, flailing it over his head. Tenten and Gai scurried back, both looking across the room at Neji who nodded grimly.

_I know what I must do..._ "Byakugan!" The Hyuuga's pupils became more defined as the chakra rushed to his face, up to his eyes, causing his veins to bulge around them.

He studied Lee, who was in between Gai and Tenten, fending them off with the chair. _He's within range._ He extended his arms, and then pulled his right one back, in the jutsu stance of the Main Family.

_You leave me no choice, Lee._

"Calm down!" Gai was pleading.

"What?" Lee staggered

"Juuken hou, hakke rokuju–OWW!"

"ACCCHHHHOOOO!" With a burst of unsteady speed had Lee flipped up in the air, the chair still in his hands. The chair landed on two wobbly feet on top of the cabinet. With drunken grace the boy flew over the furniture, his feet coming down hard on Neji's head. Both boys crashed down flat on the floor.

A sudden dull pain throbbed at the back of Neji's head, making it's way to the front. His Byakugan was deactivated, his vision blurry. In front of him he heard a groan, and suddenly realized that the fall had taken out the drunken master as well.

"Oh no!" Tenten cried.

"Lee! Neji! My cute pupils..." Gai sounded dismayed.

Neji coughed through the fog of dust. As his eyes came into focus he saw Lee laying in front of him, seemingly unconscious. The pain in Neji's head continued to throb, and the anger immediately welled up.

"Lee," Neji growled. "I'm going to kill you for that!"

He lunged at his teammate, but just as he did Lee jumped to his feet. He swayed back and forth, his face flushed.

"Did you see me?" Lee called to no one in particular as he ran passed the few customers that were remaining. They screamed, jumping out of his way, letting him fly through the door.

"LEE!" Gai ran after his student with Tenten in tow. Neji picked himself up, his knees wobbly. _That kick was especially harder than any other time we've fought._

Heregained his composure and ran outside, standing among the crowd that had now encircled Lee. Gai was behind Lee, his arms and feet spread apart, his eyes intently calculating his target.

Lee was still lightly swaying, but now he was concentrating hard to unwrap the bandages on one of his arms. "Now I will show you all..." he said aloud. "My new technique..." he looked up with bleary eyes. "I need a volunteer!"

Gai let out a ferocious growl as he jumped at his student, grabbing him under his arms and holding him firmly in place. Lee struggled, howling and kicking his legs furiously. Neji ran forward, grabbing Lee by one of his legs he pressed all his weight on his rival, trying to keep him from moving. All the while, Lee thrashed around with amazing strength.

"Calm down! Calm down!" Gai was saying over and over.

Tenten stood off to the side, wringing her hands. "Wow..." she whispered to herself.

The sun had long ago set, and the team was making their way down the road. Lee had finally struggled himself to the point of passing out, and snored peacefully as Gai carried him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

The sensei promised the angry proprietor that he and his students would return at the break of dawn to clean up the mess they had made. He also had Neji and Tenten explain to him in explicit detail what exactly happened that led up to the events.

"So Lee must have mistaken my sake for water and taken a drink of it." Gai noted as the group walked away from the restaurant. "Which leads me to conclude one thing... that Lee is a natural at the Drunken Fist." he added dramatically.

"Is that what you call it, sensei?" Tenten asked. "That strange fighting he was doing?"

Gai nodded grimly. "It is an extreme form of taijutsu. Both to the opponents and the user."

I wouldn't call that a real fighting style." Neji said sullenly. He held an icepack that he held against the back of his head, which was still pounding violently. He hoped the pain would subside by the time they were suppose to be at the restaurant.

"You should never underestimate you opponents, Neji." Gai chastised. "Nor their fighting technique. You say that Lee just had a sip of the sake."

"That's right." Neji said, and Tenten nodded.

"Well imagine what he would have done had he had the whole bottle." All three stopped at once, and looked at each other. Gai and Tenten shuddered.

"Perish that thought." Neji said.

"We'll make sure he never has another drink again, sensei!" Tenten chirped vigorously as the they picked up the pace.

"That's my student!" Gai grinned and gave a thumbs up. "I know I can count on you three to watch out for each other!"

Neji sighed. He looked up at the sky. The stars were out, outshining the street lamps, and even with Lee's snoring the Hyuuga had to admit it was a particularly peaceful night. He walked in silence as Gai and Tenten, both having regained their usual good natured demeanor, bantered with each other.

Maybe it wasn't so bad. Ending the evening this way.

_At least he has something of a talent, useless as it is_, Neji concluded to himself.

His head suddenly pounded sharply. The Hyuuga bit his lip to keep from groaning out loud.

Lee... Neji glowered, glaring at his sleeping rival

Reluctantly his thoughts turned to getting up early in the morning. Neji sighed. _Fate continues to be hard on me. And tomorrow...well..._

Tomorrow was going to be a long day.


End file.
